A class picnic was hosted on September 10 for the class of 2027.
Students populated Head of School (HOS) Raynard Kington’s backyard, heading to the photobooth or grabbing dessert from the ice cream truck. In the past week, students from each grade were invited to attend Kington’s inaugural HOS Picnics at Phelps House.
The gatherings are reminiscent of how former HOS John Palfrey hosted students inside Phelps House and in its backyard. According to Kington, his HOS class picnics will occur annually at the start of each school year. Held on separate days for each grade, the events offered students food, music, and time to relax with their friends. Kington discussed his takeaways from the picnics, elaborating on his wish for students to see Phelps House and congregate with their peers at the beginning of the year.
“For some time, I thought it was a missed opportunity that so many students get through several years on campus without ever going to Phelps, without even knowing what Phelps House was. That’s one thought that I’d been mulling over some time… We’d been thinking about how we can build community on campus. I suggested that we start off the year with a new tradition of [giving] every student the opportunity to come to Phelps,” said Kington.
Kington continued, “We didn’t want it to be a structured program, so I didn’t make any comments. We decided to have a DJ every night and a photo booth… The desire was to not have a highly structured dinner, that it be more relaxed. Students [could] interact with each other, eat together, and connect with me, but almost secondary with me. It was more just being as a community together.”
Sophie Liang ’26, an attendee at the Senior picnic, enjoyed the opportunity to see and talk to peers in her grade before graduation.
“It was nice seeing all of the people in our grade in one place. It was interesting because it’s at the beginning of the year, especially as Seniors, we’re making more of an effort to see the people in our grade… Sometimes other events that involve the whole class are more structured, like class meetings. Even though you’re seeing everybody, it’s much less enjoyable. Having a more relaxed way to engage with everybody in a more chill setting is always nice,” said Liang.
Among the food available at the picnic were barbecue chicken, tofu and pork sandwiches, mac and cheese, and an ice cream truck. Adelyne Liu ’28 recommended that due to the large scale of each grade, having a wider variety of food and activities would have better accommodated students.
“One thing I would add is [that] a lot of my friends have dietary restrictions, but there was only one vegetarian option, which was the BBQ tofu. Everyone else could eat mac and cheese, but some people can’t eat cheese, so that’s one big thing. Second thing, they should add more games, because the only games I saw were spike ball and cornhole. Even though those were really fun, I don’t think they had enough variety. I don’t think they had enough of the games for everyone to play, because we had to line up to play,” said Liu.
According to Kington, the picnics were intended to give each grade an opportunity to reconnect with peers. Robert Kong ’27, however, said he had anticipated more direct interaction with Kington.
“Something that was disappointing was that it was advertised as a munch with the HOS, but Dr. Kington did not interact much with the students. At least for the time I was there, he was mainly in the corner talking with the other staff,’” said Kong.
Looking ahead, Kington plans to hold regular events aimed to foster connections between himself and the student body, as well as among students. According to Kington, HOS munches will return, held monthly instead of biweekly as they were last year. Additionally, he plans to revive his “Cooking with Kington” series.
“In the past we had the opportunity for students to cook things with me. It varies somewhat over time. Initially, Peter [Daniolos] and I cooked dueling pizzas and another time it was a group of Chinese students who had a couple of recipes. They brought their own and taught me. Another time, we grilled for an Andover Exeter game… Sometimes it’s in my house, sometimes in the dining [hall], it varies,” said Kington.
Note: Adelyne Liu ’28 is a News Staff Writer for The Phillipian
